Hedgehogs 28 September 2011 at 10:43PM in Pets & pet care 54 replies 4.8K views

lostinrates

I found a dead hedge hog in my house (behind a defunct radiator) a few weeks ago, thought it sad and nothing more. I've just put out a hedgehog found in the same room (and given it some cat food and had a chat to it about the slugs it could help me with, they've increased in number at about the time his chum came in and died).

Why are hedgehogs comeing in the house? (I believe I know how: its near a door I leave open) Should I have weighed him? Made him some sort of sanctuary to hibernate in the garden in?

I'm thrilled to have hedgehogs about, I never have had before moving here, and I want to do the right thing (which I generally would have assumed to be leave them alone and find out what they like to make a nice home in my garden?)

KxMx

Do you have a cat that you leave food out for? They have a very keen sense of smell and would be attracted to the food.
They'll all be looking to hibernate soon so will be wanting to eat lots of food at this time of year.
You did just the right thing by putting him back outside and leaving him alone.
Pop out a bowl of fresh water every few days for him too

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I think they were coming in for the cat food. If you've had as dry a summer as we have, there hasn't been many slugs for them to eat.


They do love rough, soft landscaping, messy, cosy, food filled gardens where they are unmolested and able to continue looking wonderful, making noise and eating. Lots of eating.


Could you stand to put a bowl of cat food out every evening? Maybe provide a wooden crate/box on its side with plenty of vegetation they could use for bedding?

rising_from_the_ashes

I'd do as Jojo says and put some food out and see what happens.

If you do see it again, have a look at it's general condition - they should ideally be 500g, but 400g at a minimum, to survive winter hibernation.

If it's not at this weight - contact a hedgehog rescue (your vets will know if there's one locally) - they may well take it over the winter but are usually happy to bring them back again in spring.

lostinrates

re cat food, we do put cat food out, but elsewhere (in our farmyard and at the front of our house, for the barn cats we inherited). So he was going to the wrong place if that's what he was after! We feed our cats inside, but again, not near the room he was in....two rooms away from that and round a corner.

I have seen another here though, also around catfood, as I trapped one in a humane cat trap when I moved in...trying to find out if the barn/feral cats were FIV free and nuetered.....only ever caught one of the cats though.


I could put more out though


There are plenty of slugs appeared here in recent weeks, so there should be plenty of food. OK, well, all the food I popped him out with last night is gone this morning, I wouldn't be surprised if bozita tastes better than slugs. Does anyone know whether cat or dog food is better and what to look for in ideal hedgehod food please?

patchwork_cat

Spoilt hedgehog!! This site might answer some of your questions http://www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk/FAQS/faq.htm

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Cat food - lower in salt, much healthier.

lostinrates

Thanks all.

I guess I'll have to start putting more plates out so that hedgehogs and cats don't scare each other off, and that there is plenty to go round.

lisawood78

Juat be on the look out for fleas from the cute spiky monkeys

Froglet

lostinrates wrote: »

I found a dead hedge hog in my house (behind a defunct radiator) a few weeks ago, thought it sad and nothing more. I've just put out a hedgehog found in the same room (and given it some cat food and had a chat to it about the slugs it could help me with, they've increased in number at about the time his chum came in and died).

Why are hedgehogs comeing in the house? (I believe I know how: its near a door I leave open) Should I have weighed him? Made him some sort of sanctuary to hibernate in the garden in?

I'm thrilled to have hedgehogs about, I never have had before moving here, and I want to do the right thing (which I generally would have assumed to be leave them alone and find out what they like to make a nice home in my garden?)

I am a member on this forum,
http://www.hedgehoghelp.co.uk/index.php?board=2.0
and there is all the help and advice you will ever need. I also help a friend out at her hedgehog hospital.Please take a look ,hedgehogs are becoming endangered and need protection.They need all the help they can get,they face so many dangers.So many fallacies,like slugs are a major part of their diet and are good for them.THEY ARE NOT!! I have learnt so much about them in the last few years i have been on the site,and helping my friend.

Thanks for caring.

lostinrates

Froglet wrote: »

I am a member on this forum,
http://www.hedgehoghelp.co.uk/index.php?board=2.0
and there is all the help and advice you will ever need. I also help a friend out at her hedgehog hospital.Please take a look ,hedgehogs are becoming endangered and need protection.They need all the help they can get,they face so many dangers.So many fallacies,like slugs are a major part of their diet and are good for them.THEY ARE NOT!! I have learnt so much about them in the last few years i have been on the site,and helping my friend.

Thanks for caring.

http://www.thehedgehog.co.uk/diet.htm

tht's interesting, but not so sure its good for the plight of the hedgehog, most gardeners love worms and hate slugs, so pie chart revelaing they eat good thing more than bad thing is not partiularly good news. For nature lovers in tough areas for some birds ight also be alarmed abort the bird egg thing.

But still, we have plenty of worns and can spare a few I suppose and if he'll eat some slugs that's better than nothing. and no rare birds that I've seen ()and hundreds and hundreds of pigeon eggs.

I still want more hedgehogs here.